Mercedes is the Industry Lead for RIWI’s international development portfolio, working with partners in the humanitarian space who seek to better understand complex and sensitive issues as they evolve, and to prevent violence, radicalization, and misinformation. She develops creative solutions and applications of RIWI’s innovative technology for government agencies, the United Nations, INGOs, and academic institutions, and advises on best practices related to data collection in hard-to-reach environments to ensure safe, secure, and meaningful data-based solutions.
Mercedes has worked and lived around the globe and comes from the two distinct worlds of peacebuilding and consumer technology. She is passionate about amplifying citizen voices and creating impact rooted in evidence. Mercedes’ background is in peace education, applied technology, and conflict resolution, having facilitated related programming in over 20 countries. She currently advises Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, and is a recognized advocate for intersectional programming, data ethics, and human security.
